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ARCHIVE 3

NEW UPDATE COMPLETE -- SATURDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2009

     UPDATE:

     James Booker (m.y.book@live.com), son of the famous Elbert “Pappy” Booker, has sent in another batch of terrific photos featuring his dad and his family.  Clearly, Pappy was one of the great drivers of his era.  Check out the photos here.  Included with the photos is a newspaper clipping describing one of the Booker family’s outings to the race track.  It harkens back to a simpler time in auto racing; Pappy loads his car and heads to the track with the family.  They stop along the way for a picnic lunch, or have their picnic lunch in the infield in between Pappy’s practice, qualifying, and racing.  There is a gentleness to the day that is dramatically offset by the incredible danger of racing in that era. 

     My thanks to official FODS James Booker for the photos and for the Booker family’s continuing support of this website!

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     During my recent afternoon spent with Scott Solem (kb8zc@netzero.net) he showed me a newspaper clipping written as an obituary for the Dayton Speedway.  It was likely written sometime in the mid-80s, but as to the author, the newspaper that published it, or the date it was published we haven’t a clue.  It’s clever, though, and well-written, and proves that the melancholy for a lost race track didn’t just crop up when I started this site.  That melancholy began when the first bulldozers were unloaded on Soldiers Home-West Carrollton Road and it was obvious that the old track would not see another rebirth.  Check the speedway obit out here.

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     The Hall of Fame balloting has been closed now for a week or so and I am still tallying the results.  Luckily we don’t face any problems with “hanging chads.”   I’m continuing to work towards a proper induction ceremony sometime this Spring.  Check back for further announcements.  And my sincere thanks to all the FODS who participated.  Total e-mail ballots cast approached 1000, an overwhelming display of interest in the project!

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     This site’s researcher Rick Patterson (elvis334@att.net) has been communicating with Rand Thompson (caprirand@comcast.net) lately and some of their communication has been detailed in other Updates here.  Most recently, Rand had a chance to sit down with racing superstar Joy Fair and record some of Joy’s memories of Dayton Speedway.  You can read Rand’s recounting of his conversation with Joy Fair here on our Stories page.

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     Remember Fred Lockie?  He was the young man who vaulted out of Dayton Speedway around 1941, at least according to the information that we had at the time.  We thought he had survived, at least according to that scanty information that we had, but we knew nothing more about him or whether he recovered to race again.  We posted photos of Lockie’s jarring crash and aftermath here on the Pic of the Week in the hopes that someone would be able to provide more information.  Miracle of miracles!  Someone did respond!

     Long-time DSL supporter and veteran FODS Gene Ingram (harleygene@comcast.net) who provided the original “Lockie” photos for this site received what Gene believes is the answer to the mystery from Chris Moore (cr10hess@aol.com).

     I’ve posted Chris’ solution here on the Pic of the Week page with the original “Lockie” photos and you really must check it out.  As it turns out, the driver wasn’t “Lockie,” it was Chris’ great uncle.  And it wasn’t 1941.  And it wasn’t Dayton Speedway.  And…well, I don’t want to spoil the story.  Read it all here.

By the way, since this site is better at uncovering mysteries than it is in finding the solutions to those mysteries, it’s nice to actually wrap one up.  My thanks to Gene and to Chris!

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     That icon of motorsports reporting, Chris Economaki of National Speed Sport News often berates the current generation of promoters as lackluster when compared with promoters from the earlier era.  That thought occurred to me when Rick Patterson (elvis334@att.net) sent along an item he found in the July 12, 1934 issue of the Xenia Gazette.  In 1934 the nation was still trying to struggle to its feet after the Great Depression and the “Help Wanted” classified ads were likely still the most often read section of the newspaper.  That’s where promoter “B. Ward Beam” placed his very clever notice.  You can see it here on the right and I have also posted it on the “Special Attractions” page here.

     Remember that this was 1934 and 40 mph, under any conditions, was nothing to sneeze at.  The idea of two cars hitting each other, both going 40 mph, in the time before seat belts and other rudimentary safety equipment is silly, to be sure, and tantamount to having someone drive a 1934 vintage stock automobile into a wall at 80 mph.  Suicide; no question about it.  But I’m betting that the ad helped fill the stands for the International Congress of Daredevils.

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     Charter FODS Jerry Wahl (jlwahl1@hotmail.com) remembers attending a thrill show event at the speedway that featured three separate daredevil touring groups.  I’ve posted his memory here on the Special Attractions page.

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     OK, here’s my little secret: my absolute no-questions-asked favorite race cars are…(wait for it)…the Supermodifieds!  These wild creations are the most imaginative and run-what-ya-brung race cars on the planet.  Despite the fact that they are my favorite race cars I have seen no more than four or five supermodified shows in my entire life, and one of those was the Copper World event at Phoenix International Raceway (an event that is no longer run because the supers were way, way too fast for life and limb).  But another of the supermodified events was the Dayton Speedway 100-lap-leg of the Ohio 500 in 1976.  I was there.  In fact, my partners and I handled the advertising and PR for the track that year.

     Frankly, I didn’t remember too much about the race, probably because I was in the tower involved in other things.  But I did copy the newspaper report of the event and I posted it here.  And when I originally posted the story I asked (begged, actually) anyone who had photos of that day to come forward so that we could share them on this site.  I got no response.  None.  Zip.  Bupkis.

     So here’s the news:  I’ve found and posted some photos of that event here!  The more embarrassing part of the story is that I found the photos in my own collection.  As nearly as I can tell from looking at the photos, I must have left the judges’ stand, took a quick tour of the pits snapping photos like a madman, and then returned to the judges’ stand never again to leave it.  I say that because Butch Harris smashed through the guardrail causing a one hour-plus delay while we fixed the fence and during which Butch was carted off to the hospital, and I have no photos of any of that activity.  Nor any memory of it either, perhaps because the crowd was much smaller than we had hoped and there was rain in the forecast.

     In any event, check all my supermodified photos posted here and if you have any additional pix you would like to share, please, for heaven’s sake, contact me here!

********** 

     Remember the photo in a prior update that caused Jerry Wahl (jlwahl1@hotmail.com) to marvel at the loooooong trumpet-like loudspeakers that were part of the Mt. Lawn Speedway sound system?  Gene Ingram (harleygene@comcast.net) dropped us a note to indicate that he owned the original negative of the photo and could name the driver; Walt Williams of New Castle, Indiana.  Another mystery resolved!  We’re on a roll!  Thanks, Geno!

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     I know that you don’t need proof that Dayton Speedway hosted champion drivers, but check out the photo (left) that I found in my collection.  Whatever Greg Weld (left) has said to Gary Bettenhausen (right) doesn’t seem to have set well with Tony’s son!

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     Another FODS has correctly identified our Mystery Number Nine photo here.  Steve  McKee (sbmckee48@mchsl.com) is the latest to correctly name the driver in the photo.  Here’s one final clue: the driver has a famous brother who was in the same line of work.  We’ll name the mystery driver (and his brother) in the next Update!

     And speaking of Steve, here’s what he told me when I asked for some info about him:

Hey Mickey -

I'm 60-yrs old and have been a race fan since early teens, remembering my Dad taking me to Winchester so so many years ago.

     My first recollection of Winchester was being in the infield and Don Friend was racing in what I would call a roadster. The guard rail being just 2 strips of steel, and him hitting the wall in the first turn, and the car going through the lower strip, and his body hitting the top. The Doctor at the track (I found out years later), Dr. Chambers, pronounced him dead, but he survived.

     Anyway, I grew up going to Eldora, New Bremen, and Winchester. I knew Roger pretty well, and in fact was involved with the Winchester Speedway Old Timers Club when it was first formed. I had done a ton of research on Winchester back in my early 20's. I eventually worked for Rex and ASA.

     Garry Poindexter and I are the best of friends, and oh I just have tons of memories. I guess that's why [the mystery photo] struck a memory node of sorts (not many of those left).

     Sparky Mace was a distant relative of mine. I always felt he and I were of the same cut, except he was in an earlier period than me. I visited with him down in St. Pete many years ago. I have a picture around here somewhere of me sitting on his adult tri-cycle, with one of his race hats on. What a guy he was.

     Anyway, thanks for letting me know [I correctly identified the mystery driver].

Steve

aka "speedy"

     Roger gave me a dog one time, and we named him Speedy. He's long gone too, but my handle on the internet is Speedy.

     Thanks for the info, Speedy, and congratulations again on correctly identifying the mystery driver!

********** 

     A brand new FODS, John Surges (vintagemodman@msn.com), knocked on DSL’s digital door bearing gifts for all the members of the FODS Nation – amazing slides of stockcar action taken in the mid to late ‘50s!  I asked him about the images and here’s what he reported:

     Mickey-

     I'm glad you liked the slides. You are right, slides always look like they were taken yesterday. I purchased a bunch of racing slides from a guy in Milwaukee who got them from another guy that went into a nursing home. He said this guy was going to throw them out! I am the president of the Vintage Modified Stock Car group and the Southeastern Wisconsin Short Track Hall of Fame. I was hoping there would be some cars from our tracks in the roughly 2,000 images. There was a mixture of Indy, Can Am, Sports Cars, Classic Cars and these type of Stock Cars but none from our area.

     They date from the 1950's through the 70's. I think the photographer's name was Richardson, but I will try to find out from what's on a box. You have my permission to use anything I send you for your site. I own 4 vintage race cars and I know what a good feeling it is when something like this surfaces after all of these years.

     Stan Kalwasinski of Illinois put me in touch with your site when I sent him a couple of slides to try to help identify them He too said they were from a MARC series. I will try to send more images as I get them scanned.  Check out our sites at  www.vmsconline.com   and   www.sewishorttrackhof.com   I also put out a neat newsletter every two months loaded with pictures and stories from our local archives.

Keep in touch

John Surges

Milwaukee, WI. 53219

414-315-5320

vintagemodman@msn.com

     FODS, these slides are truly eye-popping.  As usual, we know very little about the dates, events, or drivers, and in fact a couple of the slides might not even be of Dayton Speedway.  But the images are so beautiful, so crisp, and so colorful that I would have to relinquish my title as the Great Googly Moogly of this site if I didn’t share them with you.

     I’ve posted two of the Surges/Richardson slides here as the Pic(s) of the Week.  The rest I am going to post on a new page I am building called, appropriately enough, Surges/Richardson.  That page will be in place in a few days.

     John reports that he has around 200 of these particular slides and I intend to post every one of them on this site (assuming that I can pay the hosting fees!).  I don’t expect John to send all 200 at once and neither should you.  I’ll post the images as I get them, including between updates, so check back often.

     My thanks to John for getting in contact and supplying the images!

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      I owe a debt of gratitude to Stan Kalwasinski (skalwasinski@yahoo.com) who helped steer John Surges to my site.  Stan has taken on an even bigger challenge than I have; where I am working to memorialize a single speedway, Stan works to capture the history of ALL the Chicago area speedways!  Check out his website at www.chicagolandautoracing.com.  Be prepared to spend a couple of hours there!  And, of course, Stan is now an official FODS.

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     That’s it for another update, gang.  Still lots of things awaiting posting.  I am still scanning the Scott Solem photos.  Other FODS have told me that more photos are in the mail to me.  Two or three FODS are still waiting patiently (I hope) for me to call them and set a time to look through their Dayton Speedway photo collections.  Whew! 

     As I’ve said so many times, I am pedaling as fast as I can.  Thanks for your continuing support and please come back often for more photos, stories, and memories of that grand old track, Dayton Speedway.

     Mickey

     January 10, 2009

     UPDATE:

      I hope that Santa was good to all members of the FODS Nation.  Santa left me everything that I could have hoped for except for that complete and unrestored yet fully functional Mutual roadster, preferably one that ran and won at Dayton Speedway.  I’m pretty sure that my name was on the “nice” side of Santa’s ledger this year, although in truth my name might have been written in the margin between “naughty” and “nice.”  And anyway it was probably pretty silly to think that a complete Mutual roadster would fit in Santa’s sled.  (Although, if the old guy had been thinking, he could have pulled the sleigh and reindeer with the roadster, and then after he dropped the roadster at my place… well, you get the idea.

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     The pixels had scarcely dried on my monitor screen when reliable Rick Patterson (elvis334@att.net) sent in the answer to our Mystery Number Nine photograph (see it here).  Since Rick is sort of the “Grissom” of CSI: Dayton Speedway, I consider him “staff” so we’ll count his answer differently than other submittals from the FODS Nation.

     Brand new FODS Alan Price (fixer7526@wmconnect.com) correctly identified the driver in the Mystery Number Nine photo, and his answer arrived close on the heels of Rick’s reply.  Welcome aboard, Alan!

     Sue Jones (suej@siscom.net) also came up with the right answer, and was just barely beaten to the finish line by Rick and Alan.  I think that this is the first time that Sue has checked in to the site, although she has been a regular and reliable Hall of Fame voter, casting her ballots at daytonspeedway@gmail.com.  More about Sue in a minute.

     Close behind Sue, new FODS Thomas Taylor (ttaylor14@satx.rr.com) came roaring across the finish line with the right answer.

     Thomas was followed closely by two-time ARCA National Champion and Dayton Speedway champion Lee Raymond (j.leeraymond69@gmail.com), motorsports history buff Rand Thompson (no relation) (caprirand@comcast.net), and Melanie Dunlevy (racin4theracers@aol.com) a life-long racer and Dick Dunlevy, Jr’s better half.  Kevin Shatto (kdcrace@roadrunner.com) trailed the rest with the correct answer by just a couple of days.

     Rather than tell you the identity of the driver shown in Mystery Number Nine, I’m going to leave the mystery open for just a bit longer.  For those of you who might still be struggling to identify the driver of #37, I offer this clue taken from the very thorough response from Alan Price:  the driver won a major race at Winchester Speedway not long after the mystery photo was taken.  Does that help?

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     Sue Jones (suej@siscom.net) is the daughter of well-known car owner Frank Jones.  Frank is one of our Hall of Fame nominees, and rightfully so.  He fielded cars for what seems like most of the top drivers in the Midwest.  When Sue cast her most recent ballot for the HOF, she included this note:

     I’m voting for car owner Frank Jones.  He did more for local racing and racers alike in the years from 1946 to the day he passed, November 21, 2004, than almost anyone.  Frank is my father and he gave many drivers their first chance and some their next chance to prove themselves in racing.  He had the likes of Les Snow, Charlie Glotzbach, Harold Smith, Dick Freeman, Dick Dunlevy Sr., Joe Ruttman, Jay Wyatt, Tiny Lund, Dick Dunlevy Jr. and the list goes on and on.  He owned a race car since he was in high school.  Most times Bob Korn was the crew chief (Bob became an owner in the 70's).  Frank and Bobby are first cousins and my dad had a lot of respect for Bobby in past years. 

     My dad built motors and worked on anyone’s race car that needed help in the years since 1946.  He is a great man and wonderful human being.  He is sadly missed by not only his family, but his many members of his racing family.

     His two sons (my brothers) Terry Jones and Pat Jones were also drivers at all local area race tracks for many years.  Pat went on to run some Busch Series races.  Terry and Pat are now retired from racing, but Pat and I are still very active in local racing. 

     Gary Estes and Dick Dunlevy, Jr. were the most recent drivers for my dad.  Frank passed just as the 2004 season came to an end. 

     Frank's love for racing outweighed any other racer that I have ever met.  Many times he wanted to drive the car but we as a family discouraged it and said "dad, you need to leave that part to the professionals". 

     My mother, Eileen, my brothers, Terry, Steve and Pat, my sister Patti, and I, (Sue) were his biggest supporters in racing and in life. 

I miss my father and the racing he would have been involved in today.

Thank you.

Sue Jones

     And thank you, Sue, for the moving tribute to your dad!

********** 

     If you’ve been following along with my regular updates to this site you probably remember the remarkable Mel Anthony (methanolmel@msn.com), a former roadster race driver, now 85 years young, who managed somehow to survive those perilous early years of auto racing.  Mel was tracked down by this site’s Rick Patterson (elvis334@att.net) and became the primary source for information about Tommy Legge, the young driver who lost his life at Dayton Speedway (read about Tommy here).  For the first six or seven months of this site’s existence we thought that we knew everyone who’d lost their life at the track.  Tommy’s tragic misfortune was uncovered by Rick during his searches of old newspaper files, and in his continuing search for more information found Mel who’d actually raced against Tommy.

     Mel was also familiar with legendary Dayton driver Duke Dinsmore.  Duke raced occasionally in the great Northwest, Mel’s area of operations, and Mel remembered him.  Here’s what Mel reported in his note to Rick:

     Hi Rick,
 
     Tonight I have all my chores completed, so I had a chance to view the Dayton Speedway site with all the clippings. I will say they gave Tommy a lot of mention, and soon you will have a photo to complement the articles. [You can see that photo here with Legge’s “In Memoriam” note. - Mickey]

     While I am here, I will add, I recognize a couple drivers that also raced here. The first was Duke Dinsmore, who drove for the "Duchess" who I believe promoted the name. Either way, it could have been her nickname, or his honest name, but they teamed as the Duke and Duchess when he drove her big car. I think her name was Dorothy Greumen or something like that. The car was painted a bright yellow and a pretty blue, a #5, and was sponsored by the Rhinelander Brewery, soon after prohibition was repealed here. I will forward a black and white photo of Duke in the # 5 on the outside of the front row at the start of the first main event held at the Seattle Speedbowl in 1936. I only know a couple cars in the field, as I didn’t see any races there until 1937.
 
     Oh yes, since I will be quite busy the next 3 or so days, I put you book in the mail today, along with one to Texas, another to Oregon. So I hope you enjoy it. Take care, regards-
 
Mel Anthony
Shoreline, WA

     I wanted you to get to see the Dinsmore photo, but I was at a loss as to where to put it.  It’s not a photo taken at Dayton so it doesn’t fit into any of the Galleries, and I don’t have enough info on Duke to give him his own page yet, so… what the heck.  Here’s the photo:

     Mel is no lightweight; he raced against the likes of Len Sutton, Shorty Templeman, Jack Turner, and George Amick before these guys “went East.”  Mel tells his story, which is for all practical purposes the story of the early days of racing in the Northwest, in his book Smoke, Sand and Rubber.  It’s available from him for $33.95 (that includes the $4 shipping).  Send your check for $33.95 made out to Sylvester Publishing, and mail it to Mel Anthony,5604 5^th St. N.E., Shoreline, WA, 98155.

********** 

     Ooooooops.  I made a little mistake with the last Update posting.  In that update I added the terrific photo of Elbert “Pappy” Booker and his wife at Jungle Park (see it here) and credited the photo to Rand Thompson (no relation) who sent it along through Rick Patterson (elvis334@att.net).  That wasn’t exactly right, and Rand sent along a note to correct it:

     Hi Rick –

     I need to have the text accompanying the photo of Pappy Booker and his wife changed. It is listed with my name as the author of a Jungle Park book. I have absolutely no issue with my name being included and at times have contemplated writing a racing book, but I cannot of course claim any credit as an author in this case.  That photo actually came from a small book entitled "Speedway Photos" Early Auto Racing in Chicago and the Mid West, by Bob Sheldon, published by Witness Productions in 2000. No text, but just a collection of various photos.

     The Jungle Park book which I can highly recommend is called "The Ghosts of Jungle Park" written by Tom Williams and published by Woodangett Press in Temperance, MI. 734-847-3042 and is still available, and self published by Tom at that phone number. Although Temperance is just a few miles N of Toledo and not all that far, I have not yet had the pleasure of meeting Tom. He may be an interesting person to speak with and, you never know, he may have some Dayton tidbits for you.

     Thanks, Rand

     The correction has been made!  Sorry about the confusion and my thanks to Rand for bringing the error to our attention.

********** 

     Dayton Speedway’s first and finest product was, of course, the racing.  But from time to time Dayton Speedway promoters brought in special acts or attractions.  The purpose was to boost attendance on a particular date and, hopefully, attract new fans to auto racing and to the track.  It’s not rocket science; it’s still done today at short tracks across the county, where spectators fill the stands for school bus races, trailer races, and any number of other off-the-wall promotions.

     The nice note we received and posted at the last update from MSgt Matthew Stevens (matthew.john.stevens@us.army.mil) reminded us of one such promotion at Dayton.  (Read MSgt Matt’s remembrance here.)

     Daredevil Ed Beckley billed himself as the “World’s Heaviest Motorcycle Jumper” and as far as we know, no one ever stepped forward to challenge Ed’s claim.  If Ed advertised his actual weight, we are not aware of it, but this much is certain: not even the original cow stretched the leather of Ed’s jumpsuit like Ed did.  You can see photos of Ed’s jump at Dayton here on a new page that I’ve started called “Special Attractions.” 

     There’s no doubt Ed was fearless, but let’s give a hand also to his poor Japanese-made motorcycle.  No motorcycle before or since has experienced stresses and strains like those experienced on a regular basis by Ed’s motorcycle.

     My thanks to MSgt Stevens, now the President of the Army Chapter of FODS, for reminding me about Ed and to Ralph Bray who provided the photos showing Ed in action at the track.  You can see those photos here.

     When I get a chance, I’ll tell the story of Ken Carter, the Mad Canadian, who we booked into the track in 1976.  Ken’s dream was to jump his jet car from Canada, across the St Lawrence Seaway and into the United States.  The sad end of that dream is still being shown on YouTube.

********** 

     Jerry Wahl (jlwahl1@hotmail.com) sent along this photo of true legend Chick Hale in his Chevelle at Dayton Speedway in 1979-80.  I’ve posted the photo here at Update and also here on the 1970s – 1980s Gallery.  Jerry included a note reminding that Chick still owns this car and all it lacks is a bit of restoration and it would be ready to go!  As most FODS know, Chick is now in his ‘80s and has never retired.  I’m reminded of a statement attributed to another local legendary driver, Red Harvey, who has also never officially retired despite being as old as or almost as old as Chick.  “I’m not retired,” he’s said.  “It’s just that car owners don’t call me as often as they used to.”

**********

     We have yet another new FODS to add to our lengthening roster.  James Blackstone (jblackstone55@yahoo.com) has checked in and reports that his father was a sometime competitor at Dayton Speedway.  James writes:

     Hi, 

     My name is James Blackstone.  My dad raced at the speedway back in the early to mid sixty's.  His name was Jim Lee Blackstone. He passed away in May of 1975.   I believe he was one of a few African Americans who raced there.

     I have pictures of the speedway before it closed.  They’re yours to add to the site.

     (937) 867-2305 or email me.

     Thanks and good site!

     Thank you, James.  We’re looking forward to seeing your photos!

********** 

     I spent a couple of pleasant hours recently with Washington Court House resident Scott Solem (kb8zcb@netzero.net) looking through is huge collection of racing photos.  I will be scanning and posting many of Scott’s photos soon.  In the meantime you should know that he has a very annoying memory, annoying at least to guys like me who can never find where they left their car.  Scott can remember the details of almost every event he attended at Dayton Speedway…and he attended a lot of races!  Look for Scott’s photos to start popping up here soon.

**********

     Elbert “Pappy” Booker’s son, James (m.y.book@live.com)  has provided a dozen more photos I will be adding to his father’s bio page here at the next update.  My thanks to James and the rest of the Booker family for their continuing support of the website!

********** 

     There’s a new Pic of the Week here.  It’s a photo of Bob Caldwell at what appears to be a very relaxed day at Dayton Speedway.  The photo comes to us from Tim Caldwell (Bob’s son), through Keith Wendel (Bob’s friend) and Rick Patterson (elvis334@att.net) longtime DSL researcher.

**********

     Finally, here’s an apology to all of you who have offered photos for posting on this site.  I thank you for your generosity and I apologize that I have not yet been in touch with you about getting together to see the photos.  I am so far behind in scanning and posting that it’s not funny.  But I will get to you; please be patient.

     I have already started on my next update.  Please check back often; I’m going to try to do smaller updates but more often.  And here’s hoping that each and every FODS around the globe has an absolutely wonderful 2009!

     Mickey

     January 4, 2009

     UPDATE:

     This hectic holiday season has kept me from updating the site on anything resembling a regular schedule.  Things ought to return to normal (if that word can even be applied to my webmastering style) after the start of the New Year.  In the meantime, I thank you all for your patience and for your continued remarkable support of the site.  (There were 3,000 of you visiting last week!  Amazing!)

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     Unrepentent gearhead and loyal member of the FODS Nation, Charlie Haerr (echaerr@aol.com), stopped by the plush DSL offices high atop the 52 story DSL Building the other day with a wad of terrific Dayton Speedway photos.  You’ll find his photos of a 1960 ARCA event featuring Paul Goldsmith at the Pic of the Week here, and also in the gallery here.  There’s four of Charlie’s 1960 USAC photos here, and a couple more of a 1979 USAC event here.  Thanks, Charlie!

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     One of the most amazing tales on this site is Neal Sceva’s remarkable survival when his modified got upside down at Kil-Kare Speedway and completely collapsed the roll cage.  You can read the story and see the photos here.  Just in case you were thinking that Sceva’s modified was toast, totally scrapped after the accident, you are in for a surprise.  Dave Sceva (davesceva@yahoo.com) has sent along several more photos, and one of them shows the rebuilt modified (with a much sturdier cage we suspect) ready for the first race of the 1960 season.  Check it out here.  There’s also a photo of Neal with another modified in June, 1962.  Though the photo was taken at Columbus Motor Speedway, the car is the same one that Neal raced regularly at Dayton Speedway.  See both of the new photos here.  Thanks, Dave!  Dave, by the way, is either a racer who is a bank president, or a bank president who is a racer.  In any event, he’s one of Neal Sceva’s kids, and that is status enough for anyone.

**********

     MSgt Matthew Stevens (matthew.john.stevens@us.army.mil) checked in recently and is now an official FODS.  He had some really nice things to say about the site:

Mickey,

     First of all, I have to commend you on the absolute class act of a website. I decided to conduct a search of Dayton Speedway which took me to Wikipedia. There, I moved to your website and wow! What a walk down memory lane…

     I moved away from Ohio back in 1987 when I joined the Army and have had the occasion to drive past the area where legends were made. I now live in El Paso and attend a small, modest dirt track from time to time. Nothing compares to Dayton Speedway...especially after reading about its vibrant, wild past.

     Thank you for hosting this awesome website.

Sincerely,

Matthew Stevens

     Matthew has some personal memories about the track, and you can read his entire note here.  I think that MSgt Stevens is currently on active duty and if that is the case he becomes the first active duty military member to join the vast FODS Nation.  It’s only appropriate therefore that I name MSgt Stevens the President of the Army Chapter of FODS!  Congratulations Matthew (who is learning of this honor as he reads this)!

     And by the way, MSgt Stevens, please accept the thanks of all FODS for your service to our country.

********** 

     Frequent site contributor Gene Ingram (harleygene@comcast.net) sends along a nifty 1946 Dayton Speedway program with driver George Robson’s photo on the cover.  The original owner of the program took the time to get George’s autograph in the pit area and then taped it across the front of the program.  A neat bit of memoriabilia!  You can see it here on the home page (top of the right hand column) and here on the page where I’ve posted the programs in chronological order.

     Gene has also advised that he has come into ownership of a scrapbook that prominently features Dayton Speedway.  See a sample page at right.  The scrapbook was maintained by an unknown race fan or perhaps put together as a school project during the period 1946 – 1948.  There are lots of newspaper clippings and newspaper photos, and Gene has kindly agreed to let me borrow the book to see what I can share with the rest of you.  Gene and I are going to try to figure out how to meet to pass the scrapbook (something like this can’t be trusted to the postal system!) and you should be hearing something about the contents soon.  Thanks, Gene!

**********

     Time is running out for Hall of Fame voting.  Deadline for the last vote to be cast and counted is midnight, December 31.  You might say that as that amazingly gaudy ball slowly descends at Times Square, it is also bringing to a close voting for the first class of the Dayton Speedway Hall of Fame.  And your participation in the voting process has been nothing less than phenomenal.  Some of you have been consistently supporting family members who are up for induction.  Some have been casting a single vote for a single individual each and every week during the voting period.  One FODS has been so torn by having to decide among the many deserving nominees that each ballot he (or she) has cast has been different!  There is still time for you to cast a ballot this week and another one next week, and your vote(s) could make all the difference.  See the rules and directions for voting here.

**********

            Jerry Wahl (jlwahl1@hotmail.com) is one of this site’s stalwarts, a guy who has been around racing for about 108 years and who still has a remarkable memory.  Those of you who know him know that he has spent a good part of his racing career behind the microphone at various race tracks.  Knowing this, you can appreciate it when he sends in this photo.  It wasn’t taken at Dayton Speedway (it's Mt. Lawn Speedway) and I’m not sure who the driver is (the photo was taken in 1941) and I can’t say for sure whether the driver or car ever appeared at Dayton.  But I post it here above so that you can share Jerry’s fascination.  “Hey,” he said, “check out those speakers for the PA system!”  Calliope trumpets for sure!

********** 

     Scott Solem (kb8zcb@netzero.net) was once just an enthusiastic teen who liked photography and, more importantly for us, loved Dayton Speedway.  He has a vast collection of photos taken at the speedway and he and I are going to get together over the holidays to see what we can share with the rest of the FODS Nation.  At least that’s the plan.  In the meantime, I’ve posted one of Scott’s photos here on the “Help” page as Mystery Number Nine.  Scott challenged me to name the driver and, by some miracle, I was able to do so.  See if you can identify him, and send your guesses to me here.  Thanks, Scott!

********** 

     Ron Verash (verash.1916@sbcglobal.net) is a brand new visitor to the site and one of our newest official FODS.  He took a look at the Dayton 500 page here and after studying the photos of the 1979 edition of the event was able to offer identifications of some of the drivers who were still unknown to us.  And it’s no wonder that some of our Dayton-area FODS couldn’t identify some of these drivers; they weren’t exactly regulars at the speedway.  Fred Reed for example came all the way from Niles, Michigan for the event.  Larry Moyer came from Ft. Wayne.  Larry Brooks towed in from Indianapolis, and Wayne Lensing arrived from Rockford, Illinois.  Ron Verash is clearly someone who knows his drivers!  Visit the 1979 Dayton 500 here and see the Ron Verash-provided identifications.  And while you are trolling the internet, check out Ron’s website at www.stockcarextreme.com.  I haven’t had a chance to visit there for very long, but it looks really interesting.  My thanks to Ron for his help! 

********** 

     Rick Patterson (elvis334@att.net) whose untiring efforts have contributed much to this site since its inception sent along a really terrific photo of Elbert “Pappy” Booker and his wife.  The photo was taken at Jungle Park in Indiana, that odd raceway that is well-remembered.  The photo comes through Rick from Rand Thompson who wrote a book about Jungle Park.  My thanks to Rick and Rand for the photo.  You can check it out here.

**********

     Dick Dunlevy, Jr. (racin4theracers@aol.com) checked in at FODS Headquarters and revealed that he recently had a chance to check out a CD provided by Les Miller from races run at Dayton Speedway on May 6, 1979.  The event was originally filmed in 8mm.  Dick provided an exciting remembrance of his victories that day and I have posted his note here on The Stories page and here on the Family Ties page.  Take your pick.

     There’s very little film of Dayton events that I am aware of and I have already asked Dick if Les is selling the CDs or otherwise making them available to interested FODS.  Stay tuned for more.  My thanks to Dick and Melanie Dunlevy for their continued support of this site!

********** 

     Gene Ingram (harleygene@comcast.net) checked in again just as I was getting ready to close this update with another bit of information regarding one of the photos posted on this site.  Gene noticed the circa-1949 photo of Bill Brown here (driver with the checkerboard helmet design) and agreed with my caption.  In that photo Bill’s rollbar stops well short of his head and the gas tank is mounted just behind Bill’s seat without any shielding.  In my caption I said “Is it any wonder that auto racing was such a dangerous sport in the early days?”  Gene agreed that it was dangerous, but pointed out that Bill actually met his end… when he was electrocuted trying to install a television antenna!

**********

     Ace Dayton Speedway researcher Rick Patterson (elvis334@att.net) is an engineer by profession and he has been relentlessly trying to sort out the records and record holders at the Dayton track.  It’s not nearly as easy as you might imagine.  For one thing, the track is reputedly 210 feet longer than a true ½ mile.  That extra distance (and we still don’t know where on the track the distance measurement was taken) is sometimes factored into record reporting and sometimes ignored.  Those 210 extra feet make a very big difference when trying to calculate top speed.  The track distance notwithstanding, record reporting leaves a lot to be desired.  There is very little record keeping that can be called “official.”  Times and speeds were announced at the track and later passed along to news reporters.  News reporters sometimes rounded the numbers up or otherwise adjusted the information that they were given.  During the long battles with Winchester Speedway for the title of “World’s Fastest Half-Mile” we suspect that Dayton promoters played fast and loose with the times and speeds.  In fact, the only record that we can call “official” with some sense of certainty is the time posted by Steve Chassey, our once and forever USAC sprint division record holder at Dayton Speedway, in 1979.  USAC issued a speed certificate to Steve for the lap (you can see it here).

     None of this has slowed Rick’s relentless quest to try to get the Dayton Speedway records as accurate as possible.  It’s a work in progress, FODS, as Rick searches newspaper reports and other sources and I try to get the software that powers this site to accurately record Rick’s numbers in an understandable chart.  While we continue to try to sort out the details, you can visit the Track Records page here to see how it is coming together.

Thanks, Rick!

**********

     That wraps up my Christmas Eve update.  There is more (much more!) coming for the site in the weeks and months ahead.  By my estimate there are well over 1,000 photographs that have been offered by three or four FODS that will have to be reviewed, scanned, captioned, and posted.  It’s a daunting task, but I think that you will enjoy wandering back to a simpler time with me, back to when every Sunday afternoon was spent at that wonderful old Dayton Speedway.

     Look for my next update just after the New Year.  In the meantime, my sincere thanks to all my fellow FODS who have helped make this site so popular with their contributions of photos and memories and with their notes of encouragement.

     I extend my warmest wishes that you all enjoy the very best of holiday seasons!

Mickey

December 24, 2008

     UPDATE:    

     If my updates to this site are starting to seem erratic, don’t despair.  It’s only the pressures of the holiday season getting in the way of my DSL site updates.  I’ve received several notes from FODS concerned that this site has an end date or that I will go on to something else and close the site down.  Not true.  I’m still having a great time meeting old and new friends that share my appreciation for the grand old Dayton Speedway and the many racers whose lives and careers intersected the life of the track.  So, as long as I can continue to afford the fees connected with the site, I will press on!

**********

     We have a new FODS to add to our roster.  Richard Foster (flyboy2free@yahoo.com) spent some time studying one of the Pics of the Week here and sent in this note:

     First of all I want you to know how much I have enjoyed your Dayton Site.  But for some reason I question the Photo of Wild Bill Kimmel's Ford #37. During that period all I remember Bill driving was Chevy's #69   I believe I was at the track for that race, and it was won by Benny Parsons.   I could be wrong about this race, being the one that I attended. I went to many in the Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio during the 60's.  But I believe that another southern Indiana man by the name of Bill Clemons drove #37. Bill went on to race a Hudson Hornet and a Javelin in ARCA

     Love the site

     Richard

P.S   Kimmel's cars were Red and Clemons cars were a silverish blue and that car sure looks blue to me.

     The photos were supplied to me from the collection of Ron Titus and each photo was marked with the name of the driver.  Of course, the individual who marked up the photos could have been wrong. 

     Our official flagman, John Potts (indybigjohn@roadrunner.com) reported (I think) that he was probably in the flagstand that day (March 30, 1969) and that Kimmel was driving the car that belonged to Billy Clemons, so you are right about the car’s regular driver.

     Perhaps Kimmel was without a ride and needed to drive in order to maintain his points or some such.  By the way, Richard, included in the photos from that event provided by Ron Titus was a photo of Benny Parsons crashing into the guardrail.  I’ve posted the photo here.  There’s no way to tell how much damage Parsons suffered, but it might have ended his day.  If so you might have been thinking of another race altogether.  I still haven’t gotten around to researching that particular event, but it is on my “to do” list.

     By the way, welcome to the vast FODS Nation, Richard, and thanks for the kind words about the site!

**********

      Elbert “Pappy” Booker was one of the most popular drivers of his day.  His career ended tragically at Dayton Speedway on June 15, 1947.  I am thrilled to report that Pappy’s eldest son, James Booker (m.y.book@comcast.net) , has checked in and is now an official FODS.  Here’s what his note said:

     Hi Mickey

Just a few words to let you know who I am.  I am the oldest son of Elbert “Pappy” Booker.  I found the Hall of Fame voting on MSN.com one day on the internet.  Very pleased to be a part of it.  The memories of his racing years are with me every day.  I am sending five pictures and a brief description of the late years.  Some you may already have.

     Hope you enjoy.

     James Booker

     As a matter of fact, James, I’d not seen any of the photos you provided and I suspect that most of the FODS haven’t seen them either.  I’ve given Pappy his own page here since his career is so much more than just his accident at Dayton documented on the In Memoriam page here.

     And by the way, Pappy is doing very well in the Hall of Fame voting (directions and information on voting can be found here) thanks to James and Pappy’s grandson Chris.

     Thanks for the photos and for checking in, James!

**********

     As the site has grown larger it has become increasingly difficult for FODS to communicate with each other, largely because I have been posting e-mail addresses only where I mention a FODS in this “What’s New?” section.  It was always my intention to make it as easy as possible for FODS to connect, and I had hoped to do that through my Friends page here.  I am now, slowly but surely, updating the Friends page here with e-mail addresses and a snippet of info about each FODS.  If you would like to get in touch with a fellow FODS, I hope that the Friends page here will help.

**********

     My old partner Ron Titus played a big role in preparing the advertising and publicity when we were involved in speedway operations in 1975-1976 and he found in his file some of the photos we used in that effort.  They show some of the racing superstars from the late ‘40s, and I have posted them in the gallery here.  They are in the left hand column beginning just under the full size photos.  I apologize for the quality of the photos; they were taken from rough negatives provided to us in 1976.  Thanks, Ron!

**********

     We are still trying to find out more information about Charles Black, an African-American, who owned Black’s Garage in Dayton, and who fielded race cars for a number of years.  The cars all wore the face of Mickey Mouse.  You can see the great photo provided by Gene Ingram (harleygene@comcast.net) here.  Jerry Wahl (jlwahl1@hotmail.com) remembers that Black’s Garage was on South Broadway.  Jerry also provided a photo of what we think was the last car fielded by Black’s Garage.  You can see it here.

**********

     The Beck Family checks in!  I received two notes from members of the Beck Family just minutes apart.  If the name Beck sounds familiar, it should.  They fielded cars for a number of years at Dayton and other tracks and scored many important victories.  Here are the notes:

     Hello!

     YES I have family ties to Dayton Speedway.  My grandfather Harold Beck Sr. (Beck Construction #11) and my uncle Harold Beck Jr. (Sonny #22) raced at Dayton Speedway for a number of years. 

     I'm new to your web site as hearing about it through a family friend just now and cannot wait to browse and see if I can find more information.

THANKS!

Cheryl Lane-Buechler

(floridagirlme@yahoo.com)

North Port Florida

…here’s the other note:

     My name is

     The car was #22 either sponsored by Jerry’s Tavern of the Beck Construction Special. My dad Harold E. Beck Sr owned a midget and later stretched the frame 12 inches and it became a sprint car.  

     In 1959 my brother also built a sprint car, and both cars competed at Dayton in an AARC sprint race. This race was sponsored by TOM CHERRY. It was 3 33 lap features. 2 of those races were won by my brother’s sprint car driven by Bud Tingelstad of Dayton.

     I have lots more info if you’re interested. My husband’s e-mail address is     rockyl159@embarqmail.com      P.S. I also have lots of pictures from the 50's and 60's.

In case you are wondering, Cheryl is Diane's daughter. I know that all FODS are anxiously looking forward to seeing some of Diane’s photos!  Stay tuned, and please welcome to the FODS Nation Cheryl and Diane!

**********

     The Brothers Gilberg, Bob (rgilberg@san.rr.com), President of the SoCal FODS Chapter, and Rich (fgilberg@woh.rr.com), official keeper of the Gilberg family racing photos, provided the great ‘60s era sprint car photos that I posted at the last update.  (See them here.)  At the time, I didn’t have a lot of information about the photos, but the Gilbergs have jumped back in to provide the necessary details.  You can read the revised captions for the photos here.

My thanks to the Gilberg brothers, long-time and valued members of the FODS Nation!

**********

     DSL’s indispensable ace investigator Rick Patterson (elvis334@att.net) sent along a note after reading Steve Chassey’s comment about racing at Dayton Speedway when the track was breaking up so badly that an actual “cushion” of broken asphalt started to build up near the guardrail.  As it turned out, Rick was present for that race, and his Dayton Speedway remembrance is posted here for all to enjoy.

     Chassey by the way is our official USAC track record holder, credited with setting the fastest lap in a USAC event before the track closed in 1982.  I’ve not finished writing Steve’s bio, but you can see his speed certificates and photos on his own page here.

********** 

     Rummy Blevins (rummy5907@verizon.net), well-known in local racing circles, has checked in (for the first time, I think) and is now an official FODS.  He continues to be mystified by the quirky 6-cylinder engine that showed up in a sprint or midget at Dayton Speedway.  I posted that photo of the engine as the Pic of the Week for June 29 – July 5 and you can see it here.  Rummy writes:

     Foggy:  If you ever find out what that motor is in the sprint car let me know. I saw it some where else but didn't get close enough to see it good. it looks like AMC in backwards.  The flathead had open intake and exhaust bolted on the side. Just a thought. Rummy Blevins

     As a matter of fact, with the exception of one of the FODS pointing out that the engine uses fuel injection rather than 6 single-barrel carbs, and also that the engine was canted to the left in the frame of the race car, we’ve gotten no additional information on what the engine is or who built it.  Check it out and if you can provide additional information, contact me here.  I’d appreciate it and so would Rummy.  P.S.  Welcome to the FODS tribe, Rummy.

**********

     We have another new FODS to welcome.  Scott Solem checked in with this note and the identity of one of our as-yet-unknown guys in the Dayton Speedway drivers’ meeting (Mystery Number Eight photo here):

     The guy in the lower left of this photo (person #1) is John Leach Sr. of Miami Township. He started driving at the Dayton Speedway the first year of the Midwest Modified division. I spent hundreds of hours at his garage on

Scott A. Solem

Washington Court House, Ohio

P.S.   I grew up in Miami Twp. near Mad River Rd.and Alex Bell.

     I’ll be working with Scott to see if we can post some of his photos here for all to enjoy.  Welcome, Scott, to the vast FODS Nation!

**********

     Sometimes I think that Dayton Speedway just couldn’t catch a break.  Resurrected from dead a handful of times, it still went under amid a flurry of problems both unforeseen and unplanned.  That thought occurred to me yet again as I was looking through Lost Race tracks: Treasures of Automotive Racing (Gordon Eliot White, Iconografix Publishing, 2002).  I’d purchased the book sometime ago, but only recently had a chance to look through it while waiting for my car to be serviced.  Our own Dayton Speedway gets an entry, but… the photo is not of Dayton Speedway!  (see photo at the bottom of this update.)

     Two odd mismatched grandstands and the absence of a pit road entrance confirm that this is some other track.  Winchester?  Greenville?  Fort Wayne?  What do YOU think?  Send me the answer here.

     That wraps up another update session.  I’ll be starting on the next update within a couple of days.  Thanks for your continuing support of this site and the memory of the grand old Dayton Speedway!

Mickey

December 11, 2008

     UPDATE:

     I have just two update speeds here at DSL: behind schedule, and waaaaaay behind schedule.  I caught the viral bug that has been going around last Wednesday, just after finishing the last update, and was in bed for about five days.  I missed Thanksgiving, the turkey, everything, although from all appearances my guests here had a great time.

     I'll run this update right through until the weekend.  I'll still be behind in my posting, but maybe not waaaaaay behind...

**********

     Here's a bit of trivia for you:  Name the FODS who was not only a Dayton Speedway track champion, but also qualified for a major national race with a lap of better than 200 m.p.h.  C'mon, this should be easy!  His name is on the list of nominees for the Dayton Speedway Hall of Fame here.  Still drawing a blank?  Last clue:  ARCA champion 1985-1986.

     That's right!  Lee Raymond! Lee (j.leeraymond69@gmail.com) just sent in some IDs to help with our efforts to name all the guys attending the drivers' meeting at Dayton Speedway in the Mystery Number Eight photo here.

     Lee was also able to resolve a question that had been nagging us here at the plush DSL offices.  Thanks to ace researcher FODS Rick Patterson's (elvis334@att.net) untiring efforts we thought we had a list of every Dayton 500 held (including any that were held at speedways other than Dayton Speedway), but we were a little uncertain about the 1981 event.  Rick thought that the '81 500 might have been run as two 250-lappers.  Lee was able to confirm it:

     Yes, it was a twin 250.  I was in a wreck on the 6th lap of the first race.  In the second 250 I drove relief for Ralph Powell and finished second.  Thanks, Lee.

**********

     Loyal FODS Gene Ingram (harleygene@comcast.net) has sent along another fantastic photo I've made Pic of the Week(s) here.  Take a look.  It shows car owner Charlie Black of Dayton posing with his car and driver Jo Jo DeGrimes (we think that's his name) sometime around 1947.  The photo was taken at Mt. lawn Speedway, but Charlie entered this car and apparently others over the years with the same paint job at Dayton Speedway.  What makes the photo very special is that Charlie was an African-American.  Any race fan worth his or her salt knows that it took a very special kind of courage and determination to try to participate in our sport in earlier times if your skin wasn't white.  Like the rest of us, Charlie Black, proprietor of Black's Garage, had to act on his love of auto racing.  His skin color no doubt made it more difficult than necessary, but that didn't prevent him from going racing.

     We'd like to know more about Charles Black.  If you have any leads, please contact Gene at his e-mail shown above, or drop me a note here.

     And while we are talking about Pics of the Week, we still haven't heard a word from any of you out there in the vast FODS Nation regarding Fred Lockie.  Fred's the driver who launched his early racer over the Dayton Speedway wall and evidentally lived to race again.  We say "evidentally" because we have nothing more to go on than the inscription on the back of the old photos that ended up as Pics of the Week here.  Someone out there knows something about Fred and Charlie.  Please get in touch with me here so we can rescue these racers from their anonymity! 

**********

     The subject of speed records continues to torment the living daylights out of us here, particularly Rick Patterson (elvis334@att.net), but more on that subject in a minute.  In the course of trying to sort out the records issue, I had an opportunity to exchange e-mails with Steve Chassey (SFChas@aol.com), the current and forever USAC sprint car track record holder at Dayton Speedway.  On September 16, 1979, Steve covered the distance in 15.907 in qualifying.  And just to prove it was no fluke, Steve went out and sent a 40 lap record in winning the feature.  Here's what Steve said:

     Mickey,

     When I ran at Dayton in 1979 was when I set the qualifying record, and won the heat and feature.

I encountered an engine failure in the 1980 feature while leading.

     In a previous race that we ran (I think ‘77 or ‘78) I remember the track breaking up and the 3rd and 4th turns had a "cushion" like a dirt track of asphalt marbles; man.....you did not want to get close to that. Those that did get too close ended up in the fence.

     Attached please find my record certs.

     Regards,

     Steve Chassey

     Those certs can be seen here on my new Steve Chassey page under The People tab.  I hope to be able to tell Steve's racing story in detail after I have a chance to do some research.

**********

     Bob Gilberg (rgilberg@san.rr.com) , President of our SoCal Chapter of FODS and a longtime admirer of Mari Hulman (read that amazing story here) has send along some terrific '60s-era sprint car photos taken at Dayton Speedway.  I've posted them here, towards the bottom of the page in the left hand column.  We know a little something about some of the photos, but could use your assist with identifications and any other information that you can provide.  Contact me here if you can help.  Bob wants the credit for uncovering these great photos to go to his brother, Rich, who is responsible for maintaining the Gilberg Family Vault 'O Racin' Photos.  Here's what Bob told us when he sent in these photos:

     Foggy, [one of these] is probably a shot of the Walkup-Parsons duel one of our FODS described in a letter recently. I haven't been able to find the story again (you are soon going to need a search engine.......) so I can't reference the person who described that race, but from what I can remember----Parsons vs Walkup-----this has to be it.

     Credit goes to my brother Rich Gilberg (Piqua), who has all the family racin' photos.

     Bob Gilberg

     President: SoCAl FODS

     There's just something about these sprint car photos from the '60s that stirs my soul, and I suspect that more than a few other FODS get the same rush when they see them.  My thanks to the Gilberg Brothers for sharing the treasure!

     As the the need for a search engine here at DSL, I'm just glad to find out that I'm not the only one who has trouble finding his way around!

**********

     Oooooops.  I just discovered that this update has dragged on for so long that I am starting to get responses to the update items.  That's never good; besides indicating that I am slooooow, it also threatens to get me so confused that I forget what I've posted and what I have not posted.

     Therefore, I am officially closing this update and will start the next one in a couple of days.

     Don't forget to cast your votes for the Dayton Speedway Hall of Fame (directions and rules are here) and don't forget to thank a racing veteran for helping make our sport what it is today!

     Mickey

     December 5, 2008

     UPDATE:

     Our local newspaper, the Dayton Daily News, published (of all things) a Dayton Speedway memory in their Saturday, November 22, 2008, "Wheels" section.  Since by law (trust me on this; I'm a lawyer) all remembrances dealing with the Dayton Speedway must be recorded on this website, and recognizing that some of the FODS in Europe, England, and the South Pacific probably don't get the Dayton Daily News on a regular basis, I have copied that DS memory, by Keith Hayslip, on our Stories page here.  While you enjoy Keith's tale, I'll try to get in touch with Keith and let him know what I've done.

**********

     Dick and Melanie Dunlevy (racin4theracers@aol.com)  have stepped up to take a stab at identifying the folks in our Mystery Number Eight photo here.  Since one of the men pictured is, in fact, Dick Dunlevy, I have to assume their identifications are probably correct.  Take a look here and see if you agree with Dick and Melanie or can identify any of the other people who are still unknown.  My thanks to the Dunlevys!

**********

     DSL's lead investigator, Rick Patterson (elvis334@att.net) sent along this photo (below right) of the grave marker of Richard Freeman, better known as Dick Freeman to his countless fans.  There's no denying that I loved the old Dayton high-banks, but whenever I think back to stock car racing as it used to be, my mind begins to unspool film of Freeman in a Ford and Jim Cushman behind the wheel of a Chevrolet, running side by side, lap after lap, at Kil-Kare Speedway near Xenia, Ohio.  I'm publishing the photo of Dick's marker here for all those FODS who might not otherwise get a chance to visit the Evergreen Cemetary in West Carrollton, Ohio, where Dick rests beside a maple tree in the northwest end of the older section.  Thanks Rick for sending in the photo.

**********

      I have a new Pic of the Week posted here.  Actually, there are several photos comprising this week's Pic, as I honor the memory of Vern Schrock, a long time racer, who passed away last month.

**********

     I haven't had time to research the event and write the story, but you'll find a couple of photographs on the page reserved for the March 30, 1969 Dayton Speedway ARCA event here.

**********

     I just heard from veteran race driver Duke Cook (olestud28@yahoo.com) who was dismayed to find that certain names were left off our list of Hall of Fame nominees.  Duke wrote

     " ....Red Renner, Tom Cherry, Pete Allen, Pat O'Conner, Roy Prosser, Dick Frazier, Jim McWhithy from the Roaring Roadsters and early Big Car races at Dayton belong there [in the Hall of Fame]!"

     Duke is certainly correct.  Since nominations closed several months ago, FODS have been peppering me with the names of people who should have made the list of nominees at least.  I'm keeping track of names that ought to be added to the list of nominees for next year. In the meantime, please remember that all the current nominees were proposed by FODS, and the FODS will decide which of the nominees are elected to the HOF.

     Voting, by the way, is as easy as falling off a trailer when you are in the pits trying to watch the race and not paying attention (yep, I have a story about that).  Vist the HOF page here where you will find all the directions!

     And my thanks to Duke Cook who is now an official FODS!

**********

     There isn't a FODS worth his or her salt who doesn't know the story of Mike Mosley's crash in qualifying for a USAC sprint car event at Dayton Speedway, September 3, 1967.  (If you've forgotten, you can read about it here.)  But did you know that the Dayton event was just the second time that Mosley had ever been behind the wheel of A. J. Watson's amazing double overhead camshaft Ford powered machine?  And did you know that the first time he drove it, the previous week, he almost managed to get himself fired after just 40 laps?  I didn't think that you did, so I did a little research and wrote the story of that event held one week to the day before Mosley dumped Watson's car at Dayton.  Read the story here.

**********

     Anytime my update stretches into the third day I have to start to think about calling it quits.  If I didn't have these clear cut stopping points, my updates would be endless.  I'd forget what I was doing and you, my fellow FODS, would soon get lost.  There's still much to share.  Rick Patterson (elvis334@att.net) is still mulling over the math connected to the Dayton track record, our official flagman John Potts (indybigjohn@roadrunner.com) has sent along a photo of Glen Ohlmann, the winner of the 1979 Dayton 500, our SoCal Chapter President, Bob Gilberg (rgilberg@san.rr.com) has sent some great sprint car pix...the list is endless.  I'm still working on the story of Al Theisen, whose life story intersects Dayton and Dayton Speedway, and the Hoot Gibson story, and I need to interview famous car owner and builder Bobby Korn, and the 1950's era Dayton Speedway champion Ralph Smith, and Jim Fredricks who has a ton of great stories to share, and the stories of racing families Dunlevy and Raymond are way past due...whew.  As I have said before, it's a good thing I'm enjoying myself.  Otherwise, this could feel like a real job!

     Thanksgiving is just a few days away so this is a good time to tell you that this year I'm particularly thankful for the many new friends, my fellow Friends of the Dayton Speedway, I've gotten to meet as a result of this website, and for the many old friends I've accumulated over the years in our wonderful (and wonderfully addictive) sport.  Your kindness, friendship, and support have been a blessing.

     Here's hoping that your Thanksgiving is warm and wonderful, and if you have a chance, thank one of our many race veterans for their contributions to our sport.

    HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL!

     My next update will begin Sunday, November 30th.

     Mickey

     November 25, 2008

      UPDATE:

     My sincere thanks to those of you in the vast FODS Nation who have already taken the time to send a card or note to veteran wheelman Sonny Ates expressing your gratitude for his racing efforts and wishing him well.  I'm told that even 85 year-young American racing treasure and all-around nice guy Mel Anthony (see the previous Update below) sent Sonny a nice note and included a copy of his book Smoke, Sand & Rubber.

     If you were meaning to send a note or card to Sonny and haven't gotten around to it yet, how about making a special effort in the days now leading up to Thanksgiving?  And if a note or card is difficult, why not drop Sonny and wife Judy an e-mail note?  Cards, notes, letters and such can reach them through the US Mail at 250 W. Juniper Avenue #50, Gilbert, AZ 85233.  Send your e-mail greeting to them at judy_ates@hotmail.com. (Notice that there is an underscore ( _ ) between "judy" and "ates.")

     This site's Lead Researcher, Rick Patterson (elvis334@att.net), sent an e-mail note off to Sonny and Judy and got this reply from Judy:

Thank you for thinking of sonny...we went to Manzanita Saturday night and he got to see lots of old friends.  I took him early so he could walk around the pits and he got tired before all the races were over.

Judy

**********

     Our official flagman, John Potts (indybigjohn@roadrunner.com), weighed in to add a note to our Pic of the Week (here) that showed Bill Kimmel having an unhappy moment in an ARCA event at Dayton:

     Nice pic of the week. That day, Kimmel was driving

a Ford owned by Billy Clemons of New Albany, Ind.,

another well-known racer of the day in the Louisville area.

     As it turns out, since it was an ARCA event at Dayton in the '60s, John was probably in the Dayton flagstand for that race.  In any event, John has been kind enough to share another great Dayton Speedway story involving his brother.  You can read it it here.  Thanks, John! 

**********

          There's a new Pic of the Week posted here.  Take a look.  If your pulse rate doesn't jump a couple of dozen points and you aren't suddenly hit with a bit of melancholy over those now-lost years, please see your doctor immediately as you are apparently deceased!  Veteran FODS Skip Peterson (skip@skippetersonphotography.com) provided the photo of USAC's finest.  He shot the Pic of the Week and another photo from just outside the wall in the fourth corner.  (I can only imagine what that must have been like.)  But since Skip provided the two great pix I decided to research that event, held July 1, 1979, and write the story.  You can read the story and see Skip's photos here.  I used three of Todd Ridgeway's 1979 Dayton Speedway USAC sprint photos to illustrate the story, even though Todd's pix are not apparently from the July 1 race.  They are still great photos and you can see all of Todd's photos on their own page here.

**********

     Skip Peterson's father, Ray, took some of the most spectacular photos posted on this site, including the lead photo on the home page here.  Skip recently uncovered several more interesting Dayton Speedway photos in his late father's collection, but they represent something of a mystery.  Skip thinks that both photos show the aftermath of the fatal Gordon Reid accident (and I agree) but one of the photos is an aerial shot and the other is taken from some distance up the pit access road.  Since both were taken at about the same time, it would have been impossible for Ray to have taken both photos.  Skip thinks that if his father took either photo it would have been the one from the access road looking down towards the track.  We'll credit both from the collection of Ray Peterson and leave it at that.

     You can see both photos on the In Memoriam page here.

**********

     New FODS Steve Carrasas (scarrasas@woh.rr.com) sent along a note that stumped some of the site's veterans:

 

Hi Foggy,

     UPDATE:

     First things first, gang.  If you were as lucky as I was and got to see Sonny Ates and the other heroes of an earlier time risk life and limb on the high-banks at Dayton, Winchester, and Salem Speedways it likely hurt a bit when I told you in the last update (see below) that Sonny's health is not good.  He has Parkinson's, early stages Alzheimer's, and recently suffered a stroke.  At the same time, Sonny is still with us and enjoys reminiscing about his racing career.

     So here's your chance to do what we all ought to be doing for our racing veterans anyway; send a note or card to tell Sonny how much you enjoyed and respected his abilities.  Don't be shy, now.  You don't have to send a 1,000 word essay.  Just make contact and say "thanks" in your own words.

      Send your note or card to Sonny Ates, 250 W. Juniper Avenue #50, Gilbert, AZ, 85233, and please do it today.  It's been my experience that what our older drivers, owners, builders, mechanics, promoters and so on want most is some reasonable assurance that their exploits won't be forgotten.  That card you're going to send to Sonny today will go a long way towards letting Sonny know we will never forget.  Ever.

 **********

     And speaking of Sonny and his exploits at Dayton Speedway, I've just finished writing the story of the July, 1968, USAC sprint event at the track when Ates set a new world record for a 1/2 mile track.  Read the story here. Ates' 16.85 second lap stood for less than a month; the USAC sprints returned to Dayton on August 3rd and Ates knocked the record down to 16.81.

     Alvis Upitis (auphoto@hawaii.rr.com), President of the Aloha Chapter of FODS, is a professional photographer (www.alvisupitis.com) and provided the spectacular photos that illustrate the story.  When you go here to read the story and see the photos, take a close look at the photo of Sonny Ates at the top of the story.  Preparing to take to the track, Ates sits calmly in his car with his hands folded in his lap while his crew signals the push truck to come up.  In his prime, Sonny was one cool customer!

     And even though Alvis might have been a bit reluctant to have me say this for fear that FODS around the world would think he'd provided the swell Dayton photos with an eye towards making a few bucks, I'm going to tell you anyway.  Christmas is just around the corner and you could do much worse than give your favorite gearhead one of Alvis' photos as a gift.  You can check out his photos at http://homepage.mac.com/upitis/PhotoAlbum15.html  featuring the Golden Age of Trans Am and CanAm racing, or he will be glad to print the Dayton Speedway pix for you.

 **********

     This site's untiring researcher Rick Patterson (elvis334@att.net) stumbled across one of our sport's real treasures while attempting to gather more information about Tommy Legge, the driver we just discovered as a Dayton Speedway fatality.  That treasure is Mel Anthony, 85 years young, a former race driver, and a recent author.  Anthony actually once competed against Legge and provided a photo of Legge that I have posted on the In Memoriam page here.  I'm posting the e-mail exchange between Rick and Mel here so that you can get an idea of Mel's vigor and vitality, and learn something about Tommy Legge:

Dear Mel:

 

I am researching Dayton Speedway.  Sunday, I came across the driver, Tommy Legge, who was killed at Dayton in 1941.  I am embarrassed to say that I am not very familiar with the drivers of the Northwest and had not heard of him until stumbling across the first article. Apparently he was a very well liked and accomplished driver on the Northwest Coast as well as a "champion". I have found a few more newspaper articles but they are very generic and do not provide much insight into his racing accomplishments. 

 

I contacted Hal Schegel and he said you actually raced with Tommy and may be able to provide some information about him.  He also suggested I read your book "Smoke Sand & Rubber". 

 

Do you have any information on Tommy that we could include on the website www.DaytonSpeedwayLives.com in the  Memoriam Section?

 

http://wthompson4.sports.officelive.com/MEMORIUM.aspx

 

He has been over looked for nearly 70 years and we want to respect his memory. Anything you can provide would be greatly appreciated. Is "Smoke Sand and Rubber" the book you would recommend?

 

It is an honor to have an opportunity to chat with a someone with so many years of racing knowledge and experiences.  Thank you for your time.

 

Rick Patterson

Dayton, Oh

 

Here's Mel's response.  By the way, that's Mel just below on the right.

 

Hi Rick,
 
Dont be embarrased by not knowing some of our prominent Northwest drivers. Many did not live long enough to be known worldly. However short, Tommy's career, he was a champion. He won many midget and big car main events here in a variety of cars, and his father owned the Eagle Plating works that plated many of our classy cars. He went East in 1940 and you know the rest. The only thing I can add, I drove my first race with Tommy in 1939. It was a roadster race, I was a 16 year old real rookie, and I started on the outside of Tommy who was on the pole in a main event that I shaould not have been in. I tell about it in my book Smoke, Sand, and Rubber. To be honest that was the only time I ever raced with him, as I was nearly killed later that year in the same roadster on a 1/2 mile dirt track. Tommy left for the East and we never saw him again.
 
In my book I have one good photo of Tommy in a D.O. Dryer, suposedly the car he was killed in. However the photo was taken at the Milwaukee MIle when it was still dirt. You are welcome to use the photo, as a fellow Golden Wheels club member Harold Kammerzell Jr. gave me the photo for the book.
 
I did check out your site, and you have a fantastic record of the way it was.
 
I had a run of 1,000 books printed in 2006, still have about 350 left. If you are interested, send a check for $ 33.95 which covers the $ 4.00 shipping. The check can be made out to Sylvester Publishing, and can be mailed to my home address: 
 
Mel Anthony
15604 5 th. N.E.
Shoreline, Wa. 98155
 
My book tells of many of our early drivers, includes Len Sutton, Shorty Templeman, Jack Turner, and George Amick, all of whom I race with here before they went East.
 
I don't know if Hal told you how old I am, but you may have guessd by now. I turned 85 in August, and plan on many more candles to blow out!! 
 
 
Mel Anthony
Shoreline, WA

 

____________________________________

 

     I tip my hat to Rick Patterson for unraveling additional information about Legge, but especially for finding Mel.  I'll have more of Mel's remembrances that have a Dayton Speedway connection in future Updates!

**********

      There's a brand new Pic of the Week here featuring Frank Kimmel's father Bill experiencing an unhappy moment at the Dayton Speedway.

**********

      The votes continue to pour in for the Dayton Speedway Hall of Fame, and I  must say that I've gotten to meet a lot of new FODS who haven't previously contacted me through the site.  Among them is Chris Booker (cbooker@ford.com) whose grandfather was Elbert "Pappy" Booker!  Pappy was almong the most popular drivers of his era until his tragic accident at Dayton Speedway in June, 1947.  Read about it here.  Chris unfortunately never got to meet Pappy.

     If you haven't started voting for your favorite personalities from Dayton Speedway's rich history, you should get going!  All the rules and directions (and there aren't many of either) can be found here.  Vote today!

**********

     Well I'm glad that someone at least is interested in Mystery Number 8 (here).  Mick Miller (racinmick1122@aol.com), who just happens to be about the first contributor to this site back in Apri or May of this year, is still in contact and has sent along some possible names to go with the folks attending the drivers' meeting in the Mystery Number 8 photo here.  Check it out and see if you agree.  Better yet, see if you can ID some of the others in the photo.  Thanks, Mick, for your continued support of this website!

**********

     I'm going to close this update session with a personal remembrance with no direct connection to Dayton Speedway.  Back in the '70s my partners and I began a promotion with WING radio in Dayton, Ohio.  One of their DJs whose on-air name was Jerry Dennis, had been working with us for some time on our racing adventures, and he agreed to drive a stock car that we would build and campaign for the radio station.

     Jerry was no little guy and I remember that we had to modify the driver's door of the Plymouth we built to accomodate him.  We ended up with a sort of slide, so that once he was able to perch on the window sill he could slide down and into the seat.

     Jerry's racing career included a lot of wall banging, as I remember, but he was a great guy and a terrific friend.  He's gone now (I'm embarrassed to say that I've forgotten exactly when he passed away) but I was thinking of him this morning and I wanted to tell you about him and show you the photo (below) taken before the first event for the #1410.  RIP, Jerry.

     Thanks for your continuing support and assistance in keeping the memory of the Dayton Speedway alive and well!

     Mickey

     November 11, 2008

---Photo from the collection of Jerry Wahl

     UPDATE:

     A brand new FODS has signed in and is ready for duty.  Alvis Upitis (AUPhoto@Hawaii.rr.com) is, I think, the first member of the FODS Nation to reside in Hawaii.  I've therefore officially and with the usual ceremony named him the President of the Aloha Chapter of FODS.  Alvis assures me that he will be scheduling the first meeting of the chapter as soon as he can work out a reasonable dues structure.

     Alvis takes fantastic photos.  See http://homepage.mac.com/upitis/PhotoAlbum15.html when you have a chance, and stay tuned; Alvis might have some exciting Dayton Speedway prints to share with his fellow FODS.  Welcome aboard, Alvis!

**********

     I've received a mountain of e-mails from FODS since I started this site and I can count on someone mentioning Sonny Ates as the track and one-time world record holder at least once a week.  I knew Ates set a world record at Dayton (August 3, 1968: 16.81 seconds/115.597 mph), but I have been a little uneasy about continuing to claim that Ates still holds the record.  I was heavily involved in speedway operations in the mid-70s and I distinctly remember having both the USAC sprints and supermodifieds in for events.  Even though the condition of the track's surface varied over the years I couldn't imagine that Ates record wasn't eclipsed sometime.

     Thank goodness ace investigator Rick Patterson (elvis334@att.net) took the time to sort out the details!

     According to contemporary news clippings, the USAC sprint cars showed up at Dayton Speedway on May 23, 1976 for the first time since 1970.  The track had been at least partially repaved.  Ates' record, set in 1968, was broken no fewer than eight times during qualifications.  When the dust cleared, Gary Bettenhausen of Monrovia, Indiana, held the new world's record at 16 seconds flat with an average speed of 119-plus mph.

     Bettenhausen held the record for just a week and a day!  The open-competition supermodifieds arrived at Dayton on May 31, 1976, for the fourth leg of the Ohio State 500, a round-robin affair that had the supers running 100 lap features at 5 different Ohio tracks.  John McClaren of Houston, Texas, set a new world's record in qualifying and went on to win the feature.  His new record: 15:05.8 seconds at 128 mph.  Look at his car shown here on the right and it's easy to understand how McClaren took, and held to this day, the track record at Dayton Speedway.

     My thanks to Rick for sorting out the facts on this issue!  I've posted a full size image of the McClaren supermodified near the top of the gallery page here.

     And while we are on the subject, reports indicate that Sonny Ates' health is not good, but he is still with us.  Sonny and Judy are visiting grandchildren in Phoenix at this time.  Sonny has Parkinson's, is in the early stages of Alzheimers and he recently suffered a stroke.  Sonny's fearless domination of Dayton Speedway's high-banks will never be forgotten; in 1968 the USAC sprints visited Dayton four times, and Sonny set fast time at three of the meets.  He set his world and track record on July 7, then returned on August 3 and set another new world and track record.

     We're thinking of Sonny and we wish him well.

**********

     I've posted a brand new Pic of the Week here.  The photo was supplied by reliable FODS Gene Ingram (harleygene@comcast.net) and shows Bob Sweikert preparing for battle on the Dayton track.  It's a wonderful photo, but it's soberting to remember that Sweikert was dead not long after this photo was taken.  See the photo and read the story here.

**********

     Jerry Wahl (jlwahl1@hotmail.com) sends along another great story about Dayton Speedway, greased pigs, ostriches, donkies, and criminals.  We can tell the story now only because most of the pigs, ostriches, and donkies have gone to their animal rewards...and the statute of limitations has expired for the criminal acts.  Read Jerry's great remembrance here.

     Jerry has also provided another dozen-plus photos for me to share with you.  Look here to see photos of the cars driven by guys like Stapleton, Davis, Cornett, Hale, Seaborn, Wilson, Duncan, and Jacks.  The photos are at the bottom of the left and right hand columns near the bottom of the page.

**********

     And let me give a nod to my old friend Bobby Jacks, a widely respected car builder and driver.  Between 1979 and 1988 Jacks won no less than 7 poles in ARCA and USAC competition, and found himself on the podium at least 16 times with 4 wins, 6 seconds, and 6 thirds.  A remarkable record.  The photo at left shows Jacks looking over his Oldsmobile after an unsuccessful trip to Daytona for the annual ARCA event in February.

**********

     Just when you think you know something with absolute certainty about the Dayton Speedway, the grand old lady throws you another surprise.  We thought we knew each and every one of the drivers who lost their lives at Dayton.  We were wrong.  Ace FODS researcher Rick Patterson (elvis334@att.net) discovered that we'd missed a driver.  On Sunday, July 20, 1941, a driver by the name of Tommy Legge from Seattle, Washington, died during warm-ups for an event when his car went out of control, climbed the fence, and rolled over.  Accordingly I've added Tommy to our In Memoriam page here.  We have very little information about the accident, the car, or Tommy, but we will try to get more.

     And on that sad note, I will close this update session.  Look for a small midweek update in a day or two.

     And for heaven's sake, get out and vote for your presidential candidate!  And afterwards, don't forget to cast your votes for the Dayton Speedway Hall of Fame.  You'll find all the rules and directions here.

     As always, thanks for your continued support of this site!

     Mickey

     November 4, 2008

     UPDATE:

     Wow!  You guys really surprised me!  When I opened the voting for the Dayton Speedway Hall of Fame all was quiet for the first day or so and then...POW!...a flood of e-mails!  Most significantly, I am getting a lot of votes from folks who have never contacted the site before.  I think they have been there all along, enjoying the site, but with nothing to say.  I guess that you could call them the "silent FODS majority."

     Remember that you can vote for up to 10 individuals each and every week until the polls close at midnight on December 31st.  You will find the list of nominees and all the rules here.  Send your votes to DaytonSpeedway@gmail.com and put "Hall of Fame" or "HOF" in the subject line so I don't misplace them.  If you have any questions about the HOF or the voting, you can contact me here.

**********

     There's a brand new mystery photo, Mystery Number Eight, here.  It shows a drivers' meeting at Dayton Speedway in the late '70s and I would like your help in identifying the racers in the picture.  I'm going to need a lot of help on this from the "younger" FODS.  Take a look and send me your guesses here.

**********

      Loyal FODS Jerry Wahl (jlwahl1@hotmail.com) went rummaging through his vast collection of photos and found some more Dayton Speedway photos.  I've posted one of them as the Pic of the Week here.  It's Dick Dunlevy, Sr. in what I think is Hoot Gibson's car.  If you disagree or have more information, please contact me here.

**********

     Whoops!  I know that it is taking a long time to update the site when I get a response to an update posting while the update is underway!  Jim Gibson (hootyg711@aol.com), who I had the pleasure of meeting at a charity auction yesterday, October 28, sent in the following note about the Pic of the Week shown here.  I guessed correctly that it belonged to Hoot Gibson, Jim's dad.  But the story doesn't end there:

     "Yep, That's my dads car. It's actually the camaro that Chick [Hale] drove on dirt with the olds body on it. The story on that car is I bought it back from the guy he sold it to in '84 or '85. When dad saw it sitting in the driveway he said " where'd that come from?"  Then took it in the shop, took the torch, and cut it up. That was my 3 days as a car owner....     

     I knew Hoot Gibson and Jim's story is exactly the subtle way Hoot would tell Jim "I don't want you involved in auto racing."  Did I mention that Hoot once got rid of a car that he didn't want by digging a hole in his yard and burying it?  That story, and more, will come out when I finally get around to writing Hoot's bio.  Stay tuned.

**********

     Gene Ingram (harleygene@comcast.net), who I also met for the first time last night, sent along a terrific photo of Troy Ruttman (we think) sitting in the Dale Estes Special at Dayton Speedway.  You can check out the photo at the top of the Gallery page here.  If you disagree, please send me your guess here.

**********

     A week or so ago I posted my story of Neal Sceva (here--and thanks for all the nice comments about my effort).  John Potts (indybigjohn@roadrunner.com), the FODS' official flagman, just happened to be in the flagstand for the running of the 1974 ASA Midwest 300 at the Salem Speedway.  The event was one of Sceva's biggest and most dramatic wins.  John recently penned the "story behind the story" of that event and it provides some important details, and perhaps a surprise or two, that were not included in my Sceva bio.  With the permission of John Potts and with a nod to Frontstretch.com, the site that John usually writes for, I've reprinted the entire piece on Neal's page here.

     Thanks John!  And by the way, FODS, as I've written before, you can find all of John's great stories archived at Frontstretch.  Check it out.

**********

     That ends another update.  I've still got a host of photos from Jerry Wahl and a desk full of important items that I'm sure FODS will be anxious to see.  My next update will be Sunday, November 2, 2008.  Please check back, and in the meantime for heaven's sake VOTE in both the national, state and local elections and in the HOF election.  (See more information about voting for the DS Hall of Fame here.  For the other elections...you are on your own!)

     Mickey

     October 30, 2008